What a mess. I live in a very small neighborhood (17 homes) and we have a homeowner-run HOA. Every time a proposal comes up, it's neighbors taking sides and getting mad at neighbors who disagree with them. I've tried to stay out of the fray for the past few years but we wanted to put a lean-to on my shop and it's blown up a ton with one or two neighbors. I wish we could agree that folks could do what they wanted without trashing the place up, but it's so hard to find that middle ground.

Anyone else have any good HOA stories?

My best HOA story is that I dint live in one and hope to never have a bad HOA story. Good luck to you. I couldn’t do it.

I would prefer to never live in one again. I like my current 3 house association with c and Rs much better. That said if done right they prevent degenerates from trashing the place up with portable building, ugly fences etc etc. There is always some a wipe that has no taste.

Same, no way.

I've lived with and without them. My buddy doesn't have one. Had some hispanics move in next door and proceeded to put about 30 goats, 40-50 chickens, a dozen pigs, several donkeys, and I can't even remember what else. They used plywood and tarps to build shelters all over the 2.5 acre lot for them. Feces from the animals contaminated all the ponds in the neighborhood. Summer drought came and the grass died and the animals died and they piled them up and had a bonfire. It was awful.

Possibly he should have spent a bit more and not lived in pleasant grove lol

Feces from the animals contaminating all the ponds in the neighborhood is my favorite part. Come on p07. You're better than this.

I do not know how they have not kicked me out of mine yet.

Mine seems to go in cycles. For a while they're way too strict, sending letters for anything and everything, and then for a while they'll be completely lax and let all kinds of stuff pass that shouldn't. I guess it's because board members come and go and because they keep changing management companies.

When I first bought the house there was one tree in my front yard and a stump cut off at ground level where another had been. Within a week of buying the house I got a letter that said the HOA required two trees in the front and gave me two weeks to plant another one. It was right in the middle of a pretty hard winter, and I told them I would plant one in the spring but I wasn't going to waste time or money trying to plant a tree in the dead of winter. They laid off for a couple of weeks and then the letters started again, threats of fines, etc. I finally read the docs and found there was no requirement for two trees.

Then later I got a letter for a single weed in my yard. I had to go search for it, and found it was close up behind my AC unit. It couldn't be seen from the street or the sidewalk, it could only be seen if you walked between the houses down my side yard almost past the AC unit.

The current company is all about collecting everyone's email address and making sure you join the HOA facebook page (I've done neither), but they don't seem to care about much else, including a bunch of noncompliant yard signs and tacky yard decorations that have popped up all over the neighborhood.

First rule of buying a new house - stay away from any that are in HOAs.

this

I enjoy my HOA. Keeps the neighborhood looking clean, all yards are nicely landscaped, no junk hanging around houses or on the street. They keep the community pool spotless, keep the pond stocked with channel cats. Keep the walking trails well groomed and the trees and bushes sculptured.

They have a huge pool party each year with bands and free food, in the winter time they have a adult poker party for Christmas, in the spring they have Easter egg hunt for the kids. No complaint with my HOA, they keep the neighborhood looking excellent.

We live in Sun City Georgetown. Close to 8000 homes. Currently run by Community Association. Read HOA. Developer has override power until somewhere above 9000 homes. Build out is 10,000. There are 4 amenity centers with gyms and at least 2 pools each. Clubs or groups to do anything a person could want. We own the three golf courses and drive carts on streets. Place looks like a well kept park. I don’t care much fo the concept but have been here nearly 9 nine years and so far so good. Kinda dread build out because then the CA will have total control. Why would anyone retired want to get involved with running something like this?

A lot of cities are requiring HOAs because it keeps property values up (read tax revenue). If run well and reasonable they’re good. If they get picky it can be bad. But some homeowners try to push the envelope. One has a purple plastic shed, another put really funky house numbers that look nothing like any other homes and you can’t tell what numbers they are, another decided to start parking cars on their front lawn. If you’re trying to sell your house and potential buyers see what neighbors there are, it’s not good.

To hell with an HOA. To hell with having neighbors. I'll take my land with my house where I can walk outside and take a leak if I want to or shoot guns if I want to. No way I can live in one of those ant farm subdivisions